This study introduces an innovative approach to assessing seismic risks and urban vulnerabilities in Nador, a coastal city in northeastern Morocco at the convergence of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. By integrating advanced spatial datasets, including Landsat 8–9 OLI imagery, Digital Elevation Models (DEM), and seismic intensity metrics, the research develops a robust urban vulnerability index model. This model incorporates urban land cover dynamics, topography, and seismic activity to identify high-risk zones. The application of Landsat 8–9 OLI data enables precise monitoring of urban expansion and environmental changes, while DEM analysis reveals critical topographical factors, such as slope instability, contributing to landslide susceptibility. Seismic intensity metrics further enhance the model by quantifying earthquake risk based on historical event frequency and magnitude. The calculation based on higher density in urban areas, allowing for a more accurate representation of seismic vulnerability in densely populated areas. The modeling of seismic intensity reveals that the most susceptible impact area is located in the southern part of Nador, where approximately 50% of the urban surface covering 1780.5 hectares is at significant risk of earthquake disaster due to vulnerable geological formations, such as unconsolidated sediments. While the findings provide valuable insights into urban vulnerabilities, some uncertainties remain, particularly due to the reliance on historical seismic data and the resolution of spatial datasets, which may limit the precision of risk estimations in less densely populated areas. Additionally, future urban expansion and environmental changes could alter vulnerability patterns, underscoring the need for continuous monitoring and model refinement. Nonetheless, this research offers actionable recommendations for local policymakers to enhance urban planning, enforce earthquake-resistant building codes, and establish early warning systems. The methodology also contributes to the global discourse on urban resilience in seismically active regions, offering a transferable framework for assessing vulnerability in other coastal cities with similar tectonic risks.

The present work conducts a comprehensive thermodynamic analysis of a 150 MW_e Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) using Indian coal as the fuel source. The plant layout is modelled and simulated using the “Cycle-Tempo” software. In this study, an innovative approach is employed where the gasifier's bed material is heated by circulating hot water through pipes submerged within the bed. The analysis reveals that increasing the external heat supplied to the gasifier enhances the hydrogen (H₂) content in the syngas, improving both its heating value and cold gas efficiency. Additionally, this increase in external heat favourably impacts the Steam-Methane reforming reaction, boosting the H₂/CH₄ ratio. The thermodynamic results show that the plant achieves an energy efficiency of 44.17% and an exergy efficiency of 40.43%. The study also identifies the condenser as the primary source of energy loss, while the combustor experiences the greatest exergy loss.

Fire hazard is often mapped as a static conditional probability of fire characteristics’ occurrence. We developed a dynamic product for operational risk management to forecast the probability of occurrence of fire radiative power in the locally possible near-maximum fire intensity range. We applied standard machine learning techniques to remotely sensed data. We used a block maxima approach to sample the most extreme fire radiative power (FRP) MODIS retrievals in free-burning fuels for each fire season between 2001 and 2020 and associated weather, fuel, and topography features in northwestern south America. We used the random forest algorithm for both classification and regression, implementing the backward stepwise repression procedure. We solved the classification problem predicting the probability of occurrence of near-maximum wildfire intensity with 75% recall out-of-sample in ten annual test sets running time series cross validation, and 77% recall and 85% ROC-AUC out-of-sample in a twenty-fold cross-validation to gauge a realistic expectation of model performance in production. We solved the regression problem predicting FRP with 86% r² in-sample, but out-of-sample performance was unsatisfactory. Our model predicts well fatal and near-fatal incidents reported in Peru and Colombia out-of-sample in mountainous areas and unimodal fire regimes, the signal decays in bimodal fire regimes.

Urban public spaces are the interface of any city that could tell about the city’s dynamic and status quo. In addition, Urban public spaces play a pivotal role in shaping societies’ dynamics and can significantly affect conflict and peacebuilding initiatives. In a context marked by Conflict’s profound impact, this article aims to contribute to the knowledge base for informed urban interventions that foster positive interactions and reconciliation in post-conflict cities. The article seeks to explore the intricate relationship between urban spaces and their influence on war or to promote sustainable peacebuilding through investigating the various roles of the urban public spaces during the war and peacetimes via residents’ experiences of the diverse spaces’ functions that shaped the city’s status quo. In addition, considering the interplay of social dynamics, conflict history, and the mental spatial map of cities in public urban spaces can influence lasting peace or upcoming conflicts. This article focuses on Aleppo as a case study, understanding the positive and negative experiences from the residents’ perspective before and during the current war in Syria, and even distinguishes between two periods during the recent war, which are the active violence and after the end of the direct active violence, where it could inform the decision-makers and urban planners on the areas of focus while developing post-war urban public spaces to ensure its positive role in fostering peace and be able to deal with the social dynamic and the mental spatial map that developed along with the conflict history. The paper utilised a mixed-methods approach, encompassing a case study review of Aleppo City from an urban perspective and fieldwork involving focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with Aleppian from different backgrounds and geographic areas that represent the social dynamic of the city, as well as approached Aleppian who are still in living in the city and those who flee out of it to ensure the coverage of different political direction in addition field work engaged with academia and technical from the city who shared their knowledge and experiences working in the city. Participants were prompted to reflect on their pre-war familiarity with public places and share their experiences. These experiences were categorized by enabling a comprehensive understanding of how conflict context influenced these spaces. The article results offer an understanding of the peace-guiding functions of the urban public spaces based on the city residents’ experiences that could inform architects and urban planners in designing spaces conducive to sustainable peacebuilding. The article’s findings underscore the importance of strategically designed urban public spaces in promoting peace and social cohesion.

This paper conducts a comparative analysis of mentoring and metacognition in education, unveiling their intricate connections. Both concepts, though seemingly disparate, prove to be interdependent within the educational landscape. The analysis showcases the dynamic interplay between mentoring and metacognition, emphasizing their reciprocal influence. Metacognition, often perceived as self-awareness and introspection, is found to complement the relational and supportive nature of mentoring. Within this context, metacognitive education within mentoring emerges as a vital component. Practical recommendations are offered for effective metacognitive training, highlighting its role in enhancing cognitive and metacognitive skills. Moreover, the paper introduces the concept of a “mentoring scaffolding system.” This system emphasizes mentor-led gradual independence for mentees, facilitating their professional and personal growth. The necessity of fostering a metacognition culture in education is a central theme. Such a culture promotes improved performance and lifelong learning. The paper suggests integrating metacognition into curricula and empowering learners as essential steps toward achieving this culture. In conclusion, this paper advocates for the integration of metacognition into mentoring and education, fostering self-awareness, independence, and adaptability. These attributes are deemed crucial for individuals navigating the challenges of the information age.

This study investigates the role of Chat-GPT with augmented reality applications in enhancing tourism experiences in Thailand, focusing on behavioral intentions and innovation adoption to reduce stress in the tourism industry. The research addresses two key objectives: identifying factors driving consumers' behavioral intentions to adopt AR apps and evaluating the robustness of a modified innovation framework for analyzing these intentions. A conceptual model integrating innovativeness, attitudes, perceived enjoyment, and revisit intentions was developed and tested using Structural Equation Modeling with data from 430 Thai tourists who have one to three years of mobile application experience. The findings highlight that service and technology innovation significantly influence perceived enjoyment and attitude, which in turn mediate the impact on behavioral intention to adopt augmented reality applications. At a significance level of p < 0.001, perceived enjoyment and attitude were identified as critical determinants of BI, underscoring the importance of intrinsic user experiences. Tourists are more likely to adopt augmented reality technologies based on personal perceptions and enjoyment rather than external recommendations. This research provides actionable insights for stakeholders in the tourism technology ecosystem, including technology providers, marketers, and policymakers. By emphasizing the interplay of social, emotional, and hedonic factors in shaping user attitudes, the study introduces a robust framework for advancing augmented reality applications in tourism. The findings underscore the importance of user-centric design to drive technology adoption and offer strategic guidance for developers and entrepreneurs aiming to enhance tourism experiences through innovative augmented reality solutions.